On Borrowed Crime: A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery by Kate Young

On Borrowed Crime: A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery
by Kate Young

The mystery is cleverly plotted, and the writing voice is very engaging.
~Reading Is My SuperPower

I think a lot of what I liked was the Southern Charm. I loved
Lyla and her friends and family.
~My Reading Journeys

On Borrowed Crime definitely kicks the Jane Doe Book Club Mystery Series off in a good way! Fans of Aurora Teagarden and Veronica Mars will like this mystery solving book club/PI focused story! I can’t wait for the next book!
~Christy’s Cozy Corners

A surprise reveal for the most with some odd twists that really pulls it all together making for a satisfying conclusion. A nice change of pace from other cozies making for an enjoyable read. Lots of plot twists mixed with details about the town that really pulls it all together.
~Books a Plenty Book Reviews

On Borrowed Time is a fun and exciting mystery with a Southern heroine that you will instantly adore.
~Moonlight Rendezvous

About On Borrowed Time

On Borrowed Crime: A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (October 6, 2020)
Hardcover
ISBN-10: 1643854623
ISBN-13: 978-1643854625
Digital ASIN: B083RZ3ZRR

A shoe-in read for fans of Ellery Adams and Kate Carlisle, On Borrowed Crime is the first in Kate Young’s new Georgia-set, sweet tea filled, Jane Doe Book Club mysteries.

 

The Jane Doe book club enjoys guessing whodunit, but when murder happens in their midst, they discover solving crimes isn’t fun and games…
 
Lyla Moody loves her sleepy little town of Sweet Mountain, Georgia. She likes her job as receptionist for her uncle’s private investigative firm, her fellow true crime obsessed Jane Doe members are the friends she’s always wanted, and her parents just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. But recently, with her best friend Melanie on vacation, and her ex-boyfriend and horrible cousin becoming an item and moving in next door to her, her idyllic life is on the fritz. The cherry on top of it all is finding Carol, a member of the club, dead and shoved into a suitcase, left at Lyla’s front door.
 
Unusual circumstances notwithstanding, with Carol’s heart condition, the coroner rules Carol’s death undetermined. But when they discover the suitcase belongs to Melanie, who had returned from her vacation the following morning, Sweet Mountain police begin to suspect Lyla’s best friend. Determined that police are following the wrong trail, to clear her friend’s name, and to not allow Carol become one of the club’s studied cold cases, Lyla begins to seek out the real killer. That is, until she becomes the one sought after. Now, finding the truth could turn her into the killer’s next plot twist, unless she wins the game of cat and mouse.

What I Thought:

This is the first installment in the Jane Doe Book Club Mystery Series. I enjoyed this book as I have enjoyed Kate Young's other series. The setting is charming and most of the characters are likable. Lyla works as a receptionist for her uncle's PI firm, so she is kind of a wannabe PI. When Lyla finds her friend and fellow book club member dead in a suitcase outside of her door. When it is determined he suitcase belongs to another friend who just came home from vacation,  Lyla, of course, has to investigate. There were several twists and turns in this story that once I thought I had it figured out I would be thrown for a loop. Lyla's relationship with her mother adds another dynamic to this cozy that gave the cozy a different edge. All in all, I did enjoy this story and look forward to more in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

 

About Kate Young

Kate Young writes southern mystery novels. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Guppy Chapter. Kate lives in a small town in Georgia with her husband, three kids, and Shih Tzus. When she is not writing her own books, she’s reading or cooking.

Author Links

       Website- https://www.kateyoungbooks.com

    Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKateYoung/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/kayoungbooks

  Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/kateyoungbooks/

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6527572.Kate_Young

 

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hollyberry Homicide

 

Hollyberry Homicide (A Berry Basket Mystery) by Sharon Farrow

About Hollyberry Homicide

 

Hollyberry Homicide (A Berry Basket Mystery) 

Cozy Mystery 5th in Series Publisher: Kensington (September 29, 2020) Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages ISBN-10: 1496722620 ISBN-13: 978-1496722621 Digital ASIN: B082WQTC18

A cold wind is blowing off Lake Michigan, and murder is scaring the dickens out of everyone . . .

 

Considering her name, Marlee Jacob is an obvious choice for the role of Jacob Marley in Oriole Point’s production of A Christmas Carol. It’s just sad that the role has opened up because of the death of the elderly actor who’d originally been cast.

 

But Marlee, the proprietor of The Berry Basket, will do her best to keep spirits high—that is, until clues start mounting that there’s danger behind the scenes. There are accidents on set, the tree in the village square topples over, and worst of all, a body is found with a sprig of holly draped over it. If Marlee can’t wrap up the case, she may not have a berry merry Christmas . . .

 

Includes Berry Recipes!

What I Thought:

This is one of my favorite series, and this one did no disappoint me. I love cozies set during the Christmas season, and this on was very good. When Gillian, one of Marlee's employees of the Berry Basket finds an old man slumped over on a bench at the opening of the toy train exhibit, everyone assumes it was natural causes, after all he was 95. He happened to be the man who played Jacob Marley in the local production of a Christmas Carol. So of course, they ask Marlee to assume his role. The more Marlee learns about the old curmudgeon, the more she suspects he was murdered. I really enjoy the authors descriptions of the town of Oriole Point and I would really like to visit there. This cozy kept my attention for the time I started it till I finished it. There were just enough twists and turns in this one to keep me guessing, but I will have to say, I was not at all surprised by the ending. I really like the character of Marlee and the reveal of the killer was very exciting and satisfying to say the least.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About Sharon Farrow

Sharon Farrow is the latest pen name of award-winning author Sharon Pisacreta. A freelance writer since her twenties, she has been published in mystery, fantasy, and romance. Sharon currently writes The Berry Basket cozy mystery series for Kensington. The series debuted in 2016 and is set along the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline where she now lives. She is also one half of the writing team D.E. Ireland, who co-author the Agatha nominated Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins mysteries.

Author Links – WEB PAGE http://sharonfarrowauthor.com/ FACEBOOK @SharonFarrowAuthor TWITTER @SharonFarrowBB BOOKBUB @SharonFarrow Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound a Rafflecopter giveaway